Work in Style: Tricks to Creating a Desk that Inspires

By Shannon Hanrahan • September 19, 2013

We spend so much of our time at the office, sitting behind our computers at boring old desks. I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty sad to me (and I am not talking about the work part). This goes for everyone: from those of you in a cubicle to those in a corner office, or home office. Whether you are in social media like me or in finance, how do you expect to be excited and alert at work if NOTHING around you is inspiring? Your response is probably, “That’s what coffee is for,” but all the coffee in the world isn’t going to make you sit down at your desk and feel happy.

I’m a huge believer in having a creative space to spend my day, and have a few ideas how to spice up your desk. You can pick and choose for a subtle update or decorate with all of them for the full effect.

Live in Color

This is something easy to start with if you’re afraid of making too big of a change at your desk or if it is not as acceptable in your office. Think back to when you were a kid. What was more fun than playing with crayons or markers? Probably not much! Adding color into our lives is exciting and lets our personalities shine. Poppin.com sells full color sets for your desk, so you can write, store, and organize in your favorite color! They even sell come cute frames and lamps to make your desk truly a space of your own.

Counting the Days

Another easy way to embellish your desk is by adding a calendar. Not only will that keep you on track of what day it is, but there are so many options that you can chose from to fit exactly what you are looking for from a calendar. For example, I have a City Lights calendar that highlights 12 different cities from around the world, so every month I get to travel to a new place, right from my desk in Santa Monica. Calendars.com gives you a variety of options to chose from such as trivia calendars and regular picture calendars. If you want to get really creative, you can even make your own personalized calendar!

Inspiration Board

This is my personal favorite, mostly because I love the idea of putting everything I love all in one space and constantly have my ideas grow and involve. It’s like a real-life Pinterest. Grab a cork board from your local Walmart (or Office Max) and then start pinning up things that inspire you. Colors, stories, quotes, pictures, whatever! This way when you are in a lull, you can just look up and feel consumed by creativity and passion. It is also a great way to stay organized because it keeps your desk clear!

Own Your Throne!

Last but not least, you need a comfortable spot to sit when you’re working. It is known that sitting all day is not so great for our bodies, but the alternative (sitting on a yoga ball or standing all day) just aren’t practical. Aside from making sure that you are practicing good posture while you are working, help yourself out with a better chair. Stores like Staples and Office Depot have ergonomic chairs that will make sitting for long workdays more comfortable and better for your back. Now, these chairs are not really going to make your desk look cuter, but you will be much happier at the end of the day. You can always spruce them up with a cute back pillow or even a throw if your office gets a little chilly.

These are my favorite ways to update my desk at work, but I know there are probably a ton of other options. How have you decorated your desk to make it fun but practical?!

Shannon Hanrahan
Shannon is a LA transplant from Philadelphia and a social media junkie. When she is not Pinteresting or Instagraming away, she enjoys eating dessert first, traveling to new places, and being a self-proclaimed DIY expert (aka HGTV addict).

2 Comments

Regina Novickis,September 20, 2013

Mmmmm hmmm - we're on to you, Shannon, about the work part. :) Love this. Am inspired to clean up my own desk now.